


A Disappointment

by pseudoclassic



Category: South Park
Genre: Abuse, Aged-Up Character(s), Butters reflecting, Freeform, High School AU, Kyman if you squint, Neglect, Some angst, thoughts of self harm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-03-04 02:44:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13354833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pseudoclassic/pseuds/pseudoclassic
Summary: Butters is a bad kid. He doesn't know why but he takes his punishment all the same.





	1. No Son of Mine

Butters sat on his back steps with his arms crossed, watching the snow fall lightly over the backyard. He absently remembered the time he and Dougie were going to flood the earth with the hose. How distraught he was when the water company employees ran up and turned it off with little trouble. Or that time when Dougie told him all his plans were unoriginal because The Simpsons did it.

At least the memories kept him warm. His jacket had thinned from constant wear and his parents hadn't thought that he needed a new one since this one was perfectly intact. He had done something wrong, he knew that. He was always messing up because he was a bad kid. His parents had said so since he was in grade school. It didn't change into high school. it only got worse, he wasn't sure why he couldn't just behave. Well all he had to do was listen to his parents.  

Don't hang out with that couple. Tweek and Craig. They'll make you  _ gay _ .

Don't hang out with that Cartman kid. He'll make you  _ worse _ .

Don't hang out with that Kenny kid. He'll  _ rob  _ you blind. 

Don't hang out with Stan or Kyle. Those boys were  _ funny _ .

Don't hang out with anyone. You don't deserve friends.

He sighed, closing his eyes. He was a disappointment. 

Then Butters would twiddle his thumbs and had the nerve to talk back. 'Oh g-gee dad, th-they're my friends though. I like them an, an awful lot.' He hadn't gotten over the the stutter he had as long as he could remember. He had been sent to speech therapy and that helped a little. He wasn't as bad as Jimmy, but he was still pretty bad. 

He could still see the red that filled his father's face when he said that. 'If you want to hang out with those weird kids why don't you go live with them because no son of mine is gonna be like them!'

'N-N-No dad, that's not wh-what I meant. I just—'

Before he knew it he was being taken roughly by both of his arms and shoved out the backdoor.

As he hit the frozen earth he heard the door lock behind him, his mom shaking her head as she closed the blinds. 

They would check on him soon he assured himself. Well they wouldn't let him freeze out here for more than an hour or two when they threw him out.

He had started crying without realizing it. His tears hot against his cold face and his snot unpleasant over his lips. 

Maybe an hour later his dad opened the door, "I hope you learned your lesson."

"Y-Yes sir." Butter's stammered, getting to his feet and wiping the mostly dried snot on his sleeve. He turned bloodshot eyes up before turning them back down, not wanting his dad to look in the slight whiteness that permeated his right pupil.  

"Oh don't you give me that face mister!" His dad pointed behind him, "go to your room, you're grounded!"

Butters expected as much, he nodded slowly. Glad for the rush of warmth from the house as he made his way to his room.

Once inside he heard his dad set the deadbolt in place. He looked at his door, hoping he wouldn't need to use the bathroom. Last time he did they wouldn't let him out and he had an accident on the floor. That was his fault for not using the bathroom before going to bed.

He looked at the bars on his windows and wondered how anyone managed to sneak out while grounded. 

He'd have to ask Kenny tomorrow at school.


	2. Hey You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Butters talks with some familiar characters.

****Butters stood with his tray in hand, scanning the cafeteria. A lot of the cliques that were present in grade school slowly disbanded over the years it took to get to sophomore year.

Stan and Kyle still hung out. Those two used to be inseparable but a lot of the time Butters saw Kyle alone when Wendy came around.

Kenny started hanging out with the kids who then became burnouts. Now that he thought about it the only one that didn't disappear entirely were the goth kids.

He rocked on his heels as he tried to remember their names when he spotted them under the stairs.

Henrietta, the only female goth. She grew into her...heaviness sightly but she was still a bigger gal. Not that there was anything wrong with that! Her style hadn't changed much in the six years. Only her hair had gotten longer.

Pete, the red goth as people called him due to the splash of red in his otherwise black hair. He had the same haircut as far as Butters could tell but he upgraded his clothes to skinny jeans, ripped button ups, and converse.

Firkle, the small goth. Looked a little less out of place now that he was older but he was still the youngest in the group. Butter's always thought he was a little young to be hanging with those kids but who was he to judge?

Michael, the tall goth. Now even taller in his teenage years. His hair still curly in that quiff cut. He'd acquired more piercings over the years. His ears pierced all the way down on both sides.

When Michael caught Butters staring he brought his index and middle finger up to his lips in a v shape. Showing off the barbell in his tongue as he put it between his fingers and gave an inappropriate gesture.

Butters felt his face heat up as he scurried away, now in a panic to find somewhere to sit.

He ended up next to Eric Cartman. "Well hey th-there, Eric." He chirped trying to not focus on the fact that he stuttered.

Eric gave him a sidelong glance as he drank from a capri sun. "Butters." He acknowledged him in a neutral tone.

Butters took this as a win, "It's b-been a long time since we got to talk don't you think?" He continued to try to start conversation with Eric. While Eric did bully him a lot as a child Butters thought he was a swell guy. He got a lot better in the summer between middle school and high school. Rumor was that his mom sent him away to get treatment for his lousy behavior. He twiddled his hands together, "I-I didn't even realized it but you sure have gotten tall."

Eric, like Henrietta, grew into his larger frame. He was actually thinner than her now but Henrietta had the advantage of not caring what others thought. Butters was sure Eric was more sensitive about his weight than he let on however he was still a big guy especially with his height of 6'0". He would say Eric was barrel chested, with some minor muscular definition. His shoulders were broad and his face more defined though he had a bit of that double chin. He was wearing jeans and a plain t-shirt. His black jacket made from leather. He had been wearing a hat, Butters could tell from the ruffled way his brown hair looked, but he had probably stored it in his bag.

Eric finally turned his attention to him once his capri sun shriveled to show it was empty.

Butters changed a little too now that Eric had actually taken the time to look at him.

His blonde hair was in a french crop, his aquamarine eyes shining up at him. His right eye was a little murky from when Kenny threw a ninja star at him. Eric could see the small scaring along his eyelids and felt a flash of guilt when he remembered how they disguised him as a dog so they wouldn't get in trouble for playing with weapons. His t-shirt a faded gray, his jacket a color that matched his eyes while his pants were khaki. Just looking at Butters bored Eric, but outside of his drab sense of fashion Eric saw he was skinny. _Skinny ,_ skinny. Not lean like Kyle. His unimpressive height of 5'5" not helping how small he looked. His face was a little paler than Eric thought it should be. Eric would almost describe him as gaunt. Almost.

When Eric simply stared at him Butters stammered his way back into conversation, "wh-why I remember when we were the same height. B-But that had to be back in eighth grade. D-Do you remember much from then? I-I think that was the last time we really hung out. I sure do miss being around you and the f-fellas." Butters was stirring his food sadly as he spoke, "I can't now, on the count of I'm always grounded. M-My dad is always real sore at me because I'm always screwing up..." Butters realized as he trailed off that Eric had stopped listening and was staring intently at Kyle with ice blue eyes.

"That jew," he said under his breath and made his way to him. Promptly leaving in the middle of conversation.

Butters watched Eric go with a small sinking feeling. It was his fault for not being interesting enough.

He didn't finish his food, instead he dumped his tray then made his way toward the back fence in search of Kenny. Kenny was always a stand up guy. Even with the drugs Kenny was the most honest of his childhood friends.

He didn't like to admit it but had always been a bit jealous of Kenny. When his family had moved away one year Butters had been the fourth in the group with Eric, Stan, and Kyle. They constantly reminded him that he was no Kenny and he didn't blame them. Everyone was better than him and they proved it when they let him go for Tweek.

Kenny's face was laid against a girl's thigh. Tammy Warner if Butters remembered correctly and he almost always did. She had long brown hair with streaks and was currently wearing an oversized sweatshirt, skinny jeans, and boots.

The other two Butters didn't really know by name but he was sure he had classes with them at some point.

Kenny was a sight for sore eyes and Butters felt his heart warm as he took in his visage. It occurred to him they too hadn't talked in a while, this dawning the realization that he had been isolated for a long time. He hadn't given it much thought until just now.

Kenny's ears were double pierced with small black plugs. His hair shaggy and dirty blonde but also just dirty. He wore and old beat up orange jacket that was torn to show the puff beneath in some places. His jeans also ripped around the knees. His face sporting a band aid and when he grinned at Butters he saw that he had a chipped tooth. "Hey you." His voice was muffled against Tammy's thigh.

Butters smile weakly, meeting Kenny's blue gaze. His eyes were a deeper blue than Eric's. He thought Eric's were like the sky while Kenny's were like the ocean. He realized that Eric would say that train of thought was gay and dragged his foot across the unkempt grass. "Hey th-there. I was. I was just hoping to talk to you."

"Sure thing buddy," he propped himself up on his elbow as he spoke, looking expectantly at Butters.

Butters worried his hands together, "w-well I was hoping...M-Maybe we'd talk alone."

Kenny stood at that, his expression turning to one of concern over the playful look he had been giving him till now, "sure thing." He followed Butters down the fence, out of earshot of the other teenagers.

"I-I was just wondering," Butters felt sick to his stomach. Like he was doing something wrong. It's not like he was actually going to sneak out, he just wanted to know. He was just curious. "W-Well, how do you sneak out when you're grounded?"

Kenny's face lit up with laughter, "my dad's a drunk and my mom is stupid Butters. No one gives a fuck what I do."

"O-Oh."

Kenny rubbed his chin over the sparse stubble there, "what girl you trying to sneak out to see?"

Butters flushed, "I-I'm not planning on sneaking out! I was just wondering how. How everyone else does it!"

Kenny held his hands defensively, "chill. I was only teasing." He sized up Butters for a moment, "most people just climb out their windows man, or if they're real brave they just go out the front."

"H-How do they get the bars off of them?" Butters tone displayed his astonishment, "or how do they get their door unlocked?"

Kenny blinked at him, "the...bars?"

"Yeah!" Butters was oblivious to the bewilderment on Kenny's face, "I g-got them for m-my thirteenth birthday to keep the m-molesters out."

"And your door locks from the outside?"

"Well y-yeah, doesn't yours?"

Kenny didn't have time to answer as the bell rang.

"Oh hamburgers." Butters uttered the closest thing to a swear he knew, "I-I gotta go to my class. My dad will get real sore if I get written up for being late." He gave Kenny a quick goodbye before jogging as quick as he could across the field.

Leaving behind Kenny who was reeling with questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's another chapter because I have the ideas in my head. Just a look at two of the boys in their formative years.  
> I don't have a beta so I will probably make some dumb ass typos, feel free to point them out.


	3. Hell is For Children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another few familiar faces and a bad night for Butters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Caution, this chapter can be triggering toward the scene with his father and to the end.

The rest of the day ticked by slowly for Butters. Maybe Kenny wasn't the person to ask about how to sneak out. Eric wouldn't be either considering Liane worked nights, he probably just went right out the front without worry.

Butters felt the tang of jealousy on his tongue when he thought about how much easier it was for those two. _Well…_ He frowned, _why don't they have bars? Aren't their parents worried about molesters?_

"Hey," Clyde snapped his fingers in front of Butters' face.

Butters let out a soft 'oh' and looked to his class partner.

Clyde was dubbed the second fattest kid in grade school and did gain pudge over the years. Though being on the football team he had the muscle to go with it. His brown hair was in a pomp cut that was slicked away from his square face. He wore dark jeans and red cleats that matched his varsity jacket. His light brown eyes made Butters think of honey.

Clyde blinked at him, "you alright space cadet?"

Butters scratched his cheek, "well I-I'm just fine."

Clyde smiled warmly at him, "can you explain number 12 to me again?"

Butters scooted his desk closer to Clyde's and through the eraser smudges saw that he got confused halfway through the problem and restarted three times.

"I know I'm doing it wrong," he muttered tapping his pencil on his desk, "I just don't remember how to do it right."

"Well th-that's alright." Butters assured him, pointing to the problem. "J-Just remember: please, excuse, my, dear, aunt, sally."

Clyde nodded, "parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction."

"That's right!" Butters sounded oddly proud, "n-now with this f-formula you can't do anything in the parentheses s-since there are no like terms. S-So you gotta distribute the number s-smushed up against the parentheses."

When Butters was done explaining the entire problem step by step the bell rang and school was dismissed for the day.

"Thanks Butters," Clyde gathered his folder as he spoke, "you know you should get a phone so I can text you when I don't get something on the homework." With that he hurried out of the room, heading to practice most likely.

Butters sat in the empty classroom a moment longer. Last time he asked his parents for a phone they told him not until he learned to behave himself. He wasn't sure how to do that, he was a no good kid. Besides, if he did get a phone they would want to see who he was talking to and they didn't like him talking to anyone.

Even Clyde who was mild mannered they thought would make Butters dumber.

He stood, realizing realizing he was going to miss the bus if he sat there any longer. "Oh hamburgers!" He grabbed his bag and stuffed his folder in it as he ran.

He had to run after the bus as it pulled out of the roundabout. "P-Please stop!" He called waving his hands over his head. "Ms. Tanner!"

The light at the end of the short street was red which allowed Butters to catch up with the bus and bang on the door.

"Oh Stotch," she said with a look of surprise, opening it for him in time for him to stumbled up the steep steps, "I'm sorry I didn't see you."

He was out of breath, his hand over his heart which was beating through his ribcage, "w-well th-that's alright Ms. Tanner."

Ms. Tanner was much more likeable than the bus driver they had at the beginning of grade school. No doubt Ms. Crabtree would've told him to shut the hell up and kept the door closed. Ms. Tanner was in her forties, her lipstick always smeared somewhat and her hair in a messy bun. Butters usually sat up front and talked to her. She had kids of her own he knew, but they were in middle school so she wouldn't be driving them for a few more years.

However, the front seats were taken and he stumbled his way to the nearest open seat which was next to Kyle.

Kyle, no matter what, wore a hat. While it used to be a ushanka it was a gray beanie with black stripes now. Allowing Butters to see the a bit of red hair curling onto his forehead. Kyle's features were sharp, his nose a little big but not as big as his mothers. He was lean, his figure not looking like much in his neon orange and green sip jacket. His jeans dull in comparison but his sneakers looked new. His attention was to the window, his arms crossed.

Butters hugged his bag to his chest, "h-hey there!"

Kyle broke out of his thoughts with a jolt, turning hazel eyes to Butters, "oh. Hey what's up?"

"Not a whole lot." Butters grinned at him, "a-are those new shoes?"

Kyle looked down at his feet, curling his toes inside of them, "yeah. I got them for back to school shopping last month but didn't need to switch until I the laces on my other shoes snapped."

Butters followed Kyle's gaze, "w-well they look real great."

"Uh, thanks." Kyle didn't seemed interested in speaking with Butters, more involved in whatever was going through his mind.

Butters felt a slight sting of rejection but reasoned with himself that Kyle didn't sit next to him and probably didn't really want to talk since he had been sitting alone before.

When the bus pulled to a stop Butters lagged behind the kids heading toward the houses on the eastern side. He had wanted to walk with Eric and Kyle—who were currently bickering—but if either of his parents saw him with them they would be awful sore. Since he was already grounded for back talk he'd probably catch a beating for it.

He instead watched the boys walk ahead of him and felt a little sad that he wasn't closer to the conversation.

Passed the vacant house his was next down. He watched the two boys go, Kyle shoving Cartman who in turn pushed him back and sent him into the bushes. Despite the guilt that flashed over his face he cackled and called him a 'weak jew.'

When Butters entered his house he was greeted in a hug from his mother before she took his bag and began to do their daily check. Making sure he didn't forget anything or acquire anything not allowed in the house.

"Okay sweetie," she zipped his bag back up and handed it to him, "go ahead and do homework until dinner. No TV or internet, remember you're grounded."

Butters nodded and went up the stairs. He sat on his bed, pulling out his math homework since it would be the easiest to get through. When he was on the last of his homework—for biology—he heard his father shout his name.

He tensed, pushing the work off of his lap and making his way downstairs.

"He's in the kitchen," his mom said not looking up from her knitting.

Butters worried his hands together, entering through the kitchen archway and seeing his dad standing by the counter. "Butters," he had his hand pinched over the bridge of his nose before he opened the pantry. "Can you tell me why the Hamburger helper was where the nesquik should have been?"

He rubbed his knuckles together, "I-I don't know sir."

"I think you _do_ know," he pointed an accusing finger at him, "you obviously put it in the wrong place!"

Butters couldn't remember ever using the hamburger helper in the last few days.

"What keeps a family together Butters?"

He looked to the floor, feeling sick to his stomach, "a well organized pantry."

"That's right." He put his arm behind the second to top row and flung everything onto the ground. Them landing with dull thuds."If you keep putting food—" He repeated that action with the food on the lower shelf, something shattering with it, "—under the wrong letter." At the top he grabbed the bread and threw it across the room, the soft thump of it hitting the wall next to his head a deep contrast from the can that struck their next.

"It all goes wrong!"

He ducked away from another can, holding his hands over his head.

"Hell is for children who don't—" His father continued to throw in his direction. "—keep their pantry—"

When Butters began to dodge his father started actively throwing at him.

"—organized!"

A can slammed him in the back of the head and while he held it in pain he was left defenseless as more cans pelted his back.

Once his father was out of food to throw he stood panting angrily, "now you reorganize all of this!"

Butters was doing his best not to cry as his dad passed him. Once he was out of the room he wiped away a stray tear and cleaned up the pieces of glass first.

He stared at it a moment, testing how sharp it was on his finger and letting out a hiss when it broke the skin. Back when the emos were popular in middle school he saw the scars on their arms. When he asked one of the girls about it they said it was a way to make them feel better. Like the middle ages when they would do bloodletting to try to cure a disease.

He rolled up his sleeves. Looking at his arm, the blue veins prominent against his pale skin. He wondered what it would be like to do it. If he would feel better. He prodded his skin a moment before shaking his head and throwing it away. He used the hand dustpan to scoop up the smaller shards before picking up the boxes and cans. His back stinging.

When he looked at his back later that night he saw a large purple bruises forming. After all that he wasn't sure sneaking out would ever be worth it. Even if he could figure out how to.

That night he fell asleep curled on his side, hugging a pillow and crying softly into it.


	4. Secret Agent Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenny does some investigating in order to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together.

Kenny watched Butters go with a sinking feeling in his stomach. When they were kids maybe it was a bit funny to get him in trouble, or to pick on him. In middle school he stopped smiling as much, when it did it seemed hollow. Kenny found it hard to look Butters in the eyes since the ninja star incident. Butters never mentioned it and had it not been for the scarring Kenny might've thought it was a dream. He rubbed the back of his neck as he made his way back to Tammy and plopped down next to her.

She scratched her fingers through his hair, catching on some of his tangles then having to go back to the scalp and go in a different direction. "Wasn't that Butters?" 

"Yeah," he answered staring at the spot where the other blonde had disappeared. 

"I don't think I've seen him since grade school," she said with a raised eyebrow, noting Kenny's sudden change in demeanour. "What, uh, what did he want?"

"He just had a question about…" he frowned then pushed himself up when he decided against explaining the situation to Tammy. "I'm gonna go to class."

"Oh, alright Kenny." She watched him stand, smoothing out his coat over his lean frame, "I was thinking maybe you and I could head out to the T.G.I." She brought her hand to her mouth in a loose fist, tonguing her cheek as she did so.

Kenny was slightly tempted to bail on his plan as she gave him a sultry smile, but he could get a blowjob later. After helping Butters. He leaned down, giving her a chaste kiss goodbye and made his way to English. 

He entered the class late and everyone seemed surprised to see him, including the teacher. 

He finger gunned at the entire room and winked before making his way to Stan.

Stan as a child was the star quarterback, a title which he carried into high school. He was one of the taller of their old group. Standing at 6 foot 1 feet of leaner muscle with short cropped black hair and electric blue eyes. Wearing bits of his football uniform. He was a bit of a downer to be around, especially in middle school when he was at the height of his curse of cynicism but he was able to channel his energies right. Come to think of it, if Stan stayed on the path he was set on he might've end up with Kenny's burnout group.

"Dude." Stan elbowed Kenny once the class lost interest in him, "I haven't seen you here since the beginning of the year." 

"Yeah I know," he said in a whisper, resting his chin into his hand, "I've been working. Wanted to talk to you."

Stan glanced at the teacher before subtly moving his desk closer to Kenny, "what's wrong? Did something happen to Kyle?"

Kenny rolled his eyes dramatically, "your boyfriend is fine."

Stan's face flushed, "so, what's up then?"

"Have you talked to Butters at all?"

Stan blinked at the name, "oh, uh…" He rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't think I've really talked to him since middle school. He just kinda disappeared over the summer, you know?"

Kenny nodded slowly, "no one has talked to him lately." Kenny almost said he was worried but didn't. There was no need to raise alarm if there wasn't an actual problem. At least that's what he told himself.

Stan quirked his brows in worry, "I mean if something is going on with him Dougie might know."

"Dougie?"

"Little red head kid he played with when we were doing superheroes." Stan glanced at the teacher as he stifled a laugh. Thinking of how silly his alter ego had been. Tools melded to his body from a freak accident. The one with the best one was Kenny, and though he would never tell Cartman The Coon was actually pretty good too.

Kenny stayed through the end of English and made his way back to Tammy. He half heartedly listened to her chatting and lit a cigarette. He continued to drift in and out of conversation with Tammy, leaving during last period to find Dougie. 

He felt weird entering the middle school. 

Granted he was here maybe twice a week to make sure Karen wasn't being picked on and to make sure she made it to the bus. At this point most of the student body recognized him, which made it easier to locate Dougie. He was bounced from the chemistry lab, to the computer lab, to the library where the middle schooler was hunched over in the corner writing furiously.

Dougie didn't look much different to Kenny. While all his friends he saw growing up, all the younger kids remained just that. Kids. Dougie was a height of maybe 5'3" with unruly red curls and freckles dotting his pale face. His eyes a mud brown that made him easy to look over.  

"Hey." Kenny sat on the edge of his desk, leaning back onto his palms. 

"Whoa." Dougie stopped and raised both of his hands, his voice nasally. "H-Hey. No one is messing with Karen. We all know the rules."

"That's not what I'm here about," Kenny assured him, though he was glad to hear it. "You talk to Butters much?"

Dougie crossed his arm, "what's it to you secret agent man?"

Kenny chuckled and under Dougie's suspicious glare he opted to tell the truth, "I'm worried about him."

Dougie didn't seem to entirely believe him, "Butters and I haven't talked since grade school."

"Yeah but," he rubbed the back of his neck. "What do you know about his...home life?"

Dougie blinked, rubbing his eyes under his thick framed glasses. "Um. Well. I...I don't know that...I should say anything."

Kenny raised his brows, leaning in more, "look. You can tell me and I won't tell anyone you did."

The red head worried his teeth over his bottom lip, looking around the room before dropping his voice to a whisper. "Remember when Butters was getting bullied?"

Butters was almost always getting bullied, "what time?"

"You know, when his lunch money was getting taken and he showed up to school with a black eye." When Kenny only narrowed his eyes Dougie continued, "well that was his grandma. He didn't want anyone else knowing but he told me."

Kenny felt his stomach drop a little, his parents hit each other but they never hit him or Karen. Kevin and his dad went at it from time to time but Kevin usually instigated the fights.

"His parents are strict, okay?" Dougie continued in his hushed tone, "his dad is drinks and his mom just goes with whatever he says. When we were kids they just yelled at him a lot, but if he did something too out of line…" Dougie gathered his things as he trailed off, "look I gotta get home. My study period is almost over and I have to meet my parents out front."

Kenny watched the underclassman scurry away with a sigh. He waited out front for Karen who called to him once she rounded the corner.

Karen stood barely at 5'0" now, her sandy brown hair going passed her shoulders, her bangs almost covering her deep blue eyes.

Thanks to Kenny's job he was able to keep her fed and dressed. He ruffled her hair once she was standing next to him, "you're gonna need a haircut soon."

Karen slapped his hand away with a giggle and lead the way to the bus. 

Some of the other kids whispered among themselves as Kenny followed his sister though she either didn't notice or didn't mind.

Once home Kenny could already hear his parents yelling. Quick movement in the front window showed his mom shoving his dad into the wall. 

Kenny rested his hand on Karen's back, "just go through the backdoor. Then go to your room and start on your homework."

She nodded, hugging her book bag to her chest and hurrying around the side of the house.

With a deep breath he entered the house and dodged around the stray beer bottle that came in his direction. 

Though he was good at skirting around his parents he hadn't gotten the knack of avoiding Kevin.

Kevin was recently released from juvie as he just turned eighteen. He wrapped his arm around Kenny's neck and pulled him into a headlock, "shouldn't you be at work?"

His words were slurred and Kenny could smell the stink of alcohol on his breath, "I had the day off fuck face." He bent Kevin's fingers back and was quickly released. 

Kevin rubbed his hand with a low growl, "how's your slutty girlfriend?"

Kenny watched as Karen quietly moved through the kitchen and became determined to keep Kevin's attention on him. "Better at sucking cock than yours."

That was all Kevin needed to start swinging. He landed a hard hook on Kenny's face that sent him reeling. 

In turn Kenny kicked forward and landed his foot on Kevin's chest. This propelled Kevin back and to the ground.

Kevin grabbed at Kenny's leg and tugged hard, Kenny slamming into the floor with a heavy thud. While he was dazed Kevin moved over him and landed another punch on Kenny's face.

With a low growl Kenny caught his wrist and twisted hard enough that Kevin started to scream. This gave Kenny the chance to roll them until his knee was in Kevin's chest, still twisting his arm. 

Kevin writhed, "get the fuck off me man."

Kenny let him go with a sigh and stood up in order to allow Kevin to the same.

Once to his feet Kevin stepped away from Kkenny, "you're a fucking asshole."

Kenny shrugged, "I'm not the one who started it."

Kevin snorted, "you should've been in juvie right next to me and that fatass."

"Fatass?" Kenny's anger gave way to confusion, "Cartman?"

"Where the fuck else do you think he went?" Kevin asked with a roll of his eyes, "all he did was whine everyday about how he didn't belong there and how me missed his mom."

Kenny wasn't necessarily surprised though he was caught off guard by that information. He did his best not to let it show on his face. With a murmured 'whatever' he made his way to his room. While Kevin was away he and Karen switched rooms. Kenny insisting that she get the door that locked. This plan putting him in a room with Kevin. 

Though recently Kevin left in the middle of the night. Kenny thought about following him but decided that not knowing what Kevin was up to was for the better. 

He laid down against his old sheets, putting his hand over his face with a low sigh and drifted off. 

It was midnight when Kevin's heavy footsteps awoke Kenny. Rubbing his eyes he followed Kevin to the front door. His brother oblivious to him as he left toward the slums of town.

Kenny watched him go then turned toward the other houses.

It felt a little strange to pass by his old friends houses. It felt like a long time since he had really hung out with any of them. For Cartman at least now he had a reason. Stan and Wendy of course prefered to hang out with each other when they weren't broken up. Kyle...Kyle had been distancing from everyone since middle school. Though he saw him around Craig and Tweek from time to time.

He stopped in front of Butters' dull brown house. He stared up at the dark windows with a small frown. Butters' bedroom used to be the room to the right but that one was bar free. 

It could be possible that Butters had been exaggerating but….

With a nod to himself he circled around to the back and scanned over the backyard. He made a small note somewhere in the back of his mind that Butters' house would be easy to scale as his gaze landed on the bars on the back window. 

He let out a light groan, his breath leaving him in a wisp that hung in the cold air. Tomorrow he would talk to Butters. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Cartman going to juvie is really the only way I think he would reform. Fat camp of course didn't work for Cartman, as well as actual prison but I get the feeling maybe the third time was the charm.


End file.
